Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects

Genetic Disorders

06/16/2010

Question:

How many babies are born with a genetic disorder? On the website it says 3-4%, but is this number national or international?

Answer:

The number of 3-4% is the incidence of birth defects in the United States and higher income, more developed countries. The estimated incidence world wide according to the March of Dimes and World Health Organization is about 6%.

The following is a paragraph quoted from the executive summary of the March of Dimes Global report on birth defects (the website is listed below):

“Every year an estimated 7.9 million children—6 percent of total births worldwide—are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin2. Additional hundreds of thousands more are born with serious birth defects of post-conception origin, including maternal exposure to environmental agents (teratogens) such as alcohol, rubella, syphilis and iodine deficiency that can harm a developing fetus.”

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